oaktreerb

RE: shore excursions being sold out. I have decided that the HIA promo which includes a shore excursion per person causes the shore excursions to sell out early. If you are on the waiting list for the excursion some people may cancel the cruise at final payment and the shore excursions will open up. We just experienced that for our February cruise. We did have to pay for the excursion but will be reimbursed (for our complimentary excursion) on the ship.

I think HAL’s goal is to get most people to choose the HIA fare. It must be a money maker for them. I can see how it could promote more spending in several areas.

There is a refundable fare between the HIA and non-refundable. Ask your TA or HAL agent for the Advantage Fare. You really have three fare choices but they only promote two of them. You have to ask.

Some things I can get if I ask for them, like chocolates, towel animals, and slippers. I feel silly asking for towel animals. We have to go to upgrade to Club Orange/Neptune Suite for fresh orange juice and Sel de Mer for lobster. The chocolate extravaganza was wasteful. The Orange Party may have replaced it. Gratuity for specialty dining? When did that start?

You have indicated reduced services and extra charges without supporting your statement. Too many to mention? How about the top 10?

If you paid by credit card the refund will go back to the credit card. If you cancel the excursion you lose your reservation and you may may not be able to rebook, especially if it has been waitlisted.

The first thing we do is remove the contents of the refrigerator/cooler. You can also ask your steward to do it. Then I fill it up with snacks and drinks for those times when there is no food available on the ship. Juice is available in the Lido only at breakfast. You can take a glass back to your room later (mixers or instead of a soda). Take cookies back to the room for a snack. Fruit too, since they no longer provide in room. Refill your water bottle from the sink. Get a map of the area you are visiting and plan your own “city tour”. Check out public bus routes for the area.

You may be looking at an Alaska/Yukon cruisetour. There is a lot of information online about your particular itinerary. There is also a brochure that you can download and possibly have mailed to you that covers the Alaska season. In my opinion Holland America offers the best experiences in Alaska. We have experienced the Yukon cruise tours several times and they are unique to HAL. The flights can be commercial but the flight within the Yukon may be charter. The lodging can vary depending on the itinerary. It will be the Westmark in Fairbanks and maybe in Anchorage. Hotels in Alaska and the Yukon are comfortable and convenient. HAL has the McKinley Chalet Resort in Denali. If this is an Alaska/Yukon tour you will have a “journey host” who travels with you and coordinates your activities. You will meet that person when you arrive in Alaska.. You are not given a choice as to accommodations but if your room is not satisfactory the front desk will work with you. In Denali there is an upsell for accommodations. The Alaska brochure is excellent. HAL has a lot of choices as far as cruise tours go. My advice is to take the longer tour if you can with two nights minimum in Denali and Dawson City. Koningsdam is my favorite ship!

Pickleball may be scheduled as one of the activities on your daily When and Where.

The spa veranda is near the spa. Beware, to my knowledge those veranda’s are much smaller. You may get a yoga mat and a couple of bottles of complimentary water.

Nice. I’ll ask for this listing on our next cruise. I agree, Kasama was a lovely hostess!

The bathtub heights are difficult for some people to get in and out. If you look at the stateroom pictures on Halfacts.com you may find pictures of the shower. The time we had a shower only it was small and had a shower curtain. You have more space with a shower within the tub.

@mcrcruiserWe got to 4* faster by booking Alaska cruisetours. A 14 day land and sea in a suite will be worth 28 days. The land days are credited the same as your cruise stateroom category. I think you should cruise back to back Panama Canal from San Diego in a suite. Or do the Tahiti, South Pacific out of San Diego in a Suite. No flying for either itinerary. You could be 4* by 2024. Much easier than doing a land and sea…….and no flying!

Is the ship open for coming and going all night? Can you get on and off with the standard procedure (keycard, security check, etc) 24 hours each day?

@Mary229What’s the difference between a Pilsner and a Lager? I like Heineken on the ship. It comes in a special can. I wonder if HAL will create a “special edition” glass to pour it into. I would probably buy one.

@AulanisThe assigned dining is fixed dining early (5:15 or 8;00, I think). Open dining (As You Wish) means you can go to the dining room when you want, or you can make reservations with the maitre’d at the entrance to the dining room for future dates or your concierge may make reservations for you if you are in a suite. You have to ask for early or late fixed dining when you book your cruise, early fixed is the first to fill up. There is usually a line of open dining people when the dining room opens at around 5:15. With fixed dining you just walk to your assigned table, you don’t need to be seated. Take your Shareholder credit confirmation with you and/or ask your TA to give you the Cruise Confirmation which shows all of your onboard OBC. The Navigator App is a work in progress.

We paid a lot to take a ship tour of the Westerdam a few years ago. We toured the bridge as well as the laundry, recycling, and many areas down below in the working and crew area. Because of Covid the ship tours are no longer offered. I think “A City on the Sea” is a great idea. I hope it is offered on our Koningsdam Hawaii cruise in February.

Skip Club Orange on the Volendam. Book a Neptune Suite for breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. Make reservations for dinner in the MDR.

Club Orange is included with Neptune and Pinnacle Suites. It is available for purchase for other stateroom categories. It is a small dining room and you may rarely have to wait for a table. There is a bar nearby where you can grab a drink while you wait. The hostess will come to get you (and she will remember your name). You can make reservations for the MDR on HAL by speaking to the maitre’d if you know the day before what time you want to eat. Most people seem to want to eat early so there can be a wait at 5:15-5:30 PM when the dining room opens. I love having the Koningsdam sailing out of San Diego. It’s a very nice ship with several dining venues. We do not like to eat in the Lido but if that is your choice there are lots of food options and your entree choices will be served by the buffet staff (no sharing serving spoons, etc)

Holland America ships have a lot of viewing areas and a wrap around promenade. Upper level viewing public areas and they open the bow for viewing glaciers in Glacier Bay with national park rangers to answer questions and point out wildlife. HAL ships are built for Alaska and scenic cruising.

I agree with you about drunks on HAL. One drunk passenger ruined the peaceful ambiance of the Tamarind Bar on our recent cruise. I’m not a fan of the HIA drink packages as it encourages people to get their money’s worth with alcoholic beverages. Medical guidelines recommend one alcoholic drink for women and two for men per day!

Good for you. I hope Ian will forward to Corporate your request for recording and showing the EXC talks on the TV’s in the staterooms. You are so fortunate to have both Kainoa and Ian on your journey!

Happened to us a few month’s ago but we didn’t realize we needed a bar code. We showed the HAL rep our boarding pass as usual and he printed the bar code for us. Easy.

yes

When you get through the boarding process and are directed to the waiting area be sure to point out that you are “priority”. You will be directed to the priority seating and will board first with that group.